Repeating action for grand pianos.



A. NICKEL.

REPEATING ACTION FOB GRAND PIANOS. Arrmoumn FILED JULY 28, mos.

-902,439. 'Pafianted Oct. 27,1908.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADAM NICKEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO WESSELL, NICKEL & GROSS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

REPEATIN G ACTION FOR GRAND. PIANOS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, ADAM NICKEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at NewYork city, Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented newand useful Improvements in Repeating Actions for Grand Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a repeating action for grand pianos which will quickly and smoothly re-assume an operat ve position upon a partial release of the key, so that the action responds delicately to the touch.

In theaccompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of my im proved grand iano action, showing the normal position of the parts, and Fig. 2 a similar view, showing the osition of the parts upon a depression of the key.

The key 10, through capstan 11, tilts support 12 on center 13, as usual. To forward end of support 12 is pivoted at 14, the lower member 15 of a jointed jack, such member having a lower forwardly extending toe 16 ad apted to be engaged by an escapemeni-button 17. To the upper end of member 15 is pivoted at 18 the upper ack-member 19 having an upper rearwardly ext-ending tappet 20. Member 19 is pivoted at 21 to the forward end of a repeating lever 22, the rear end of which is pivoted at 23 to support 12. Lever 22 is provided with a cushioned rest 24 for the knuckle 25 of hammer 26.

Lower ack-inember 15 is provided with a regulating button 27 which so engages an abutment 28 of sup ort 12, that normally a reentrant angle is fin-med at the knee between ach-members 15, 19.

To support 12 is fulcrumedat 29, an auxiliary lever 30 which extends beneath lever 22 and is slotted near its forward end as at 31,.to accommodate 'ack-member 19. In frontof such member, lever 30 is'curved upwards to engage with its cushioned end 32 a regulating screw 33 tapped into hammer-flange 34. Directly back of member 19 there is formed-on lever 30, an u wardlyextending cushioned shoulder 35 a apted to form a su ort for tappet 20. A spring 36 inter osed 'etween lever 30 and support 12 ten s'to normally force lever 30 upwards and thereby press shoulder 35 against tappet 20. The tension of this spring may be adjusted by regulating screw 37 tapped into support 12 and engaging a tail 38 of the spring.

' S pecificati-onof Letters Patent. Application filed. July 28, 1908. Serial No.-445,742.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

During the normal position of the parts,

hammer towards string 39. During the first part of this movement, auxiliary lever 30 will strike abutment 33, which will check its rise. As the action continues its upward movement, repeating lever 22 will be swung away from lever 30, thus takingthe pressure of spring 360E tap et 20 and consequently off t e jack. Short y before the hammer strikes string 39, regulating button 17 will engage toe 16, so as to bend the jack forward at its knee to such an extent, that pivot 18 is ad' vanced slightly in front of a line connecting pivots 14 and 21, (full lines, Fig. 2). After the hammer has struck the string and while the key remains depressed, the hammer will, on falling back by its wei ht, lower repeating lever 22. This lever wil in turn, bend the jack still further forward, the colla se resultmg beinglimited by a cushion 4O tted into the front of slot 31. As the jack is thus bent forward, tappet 20 will be tilted into contact.

with shoulder 35 of lever 30, as" shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. a

Upon thepartial release of the key, the action will swing down on fulcrum 13, with the exception of lever 30, which, under the influence of spring 36, will be held up against abutment 33. In this way shoulder 35 constitutes a fixed support for tappet 20, so that the weight of the hammer co-acting with that of lever 22, will turn upper j ask-member 19 backward on its fulcrum 21, thus returning both members of the jack to theiro erative oening out or unbending of the jack is assisted by spring 36, which, by tending to lower su ort 12, will exert a downward pull on t e ower ack-member. Thus the parts are returned to their repeating position'in a nick and smooth manner. Upon the full re ease of the key, the entire action is lowered into the normal position illustrated in Fig. 1.

I claim: 1. A repeating action for grand pianos, comprising a support, a lower 'ack-member, an upper ack-member pivote to the lower ,sition. During this movement, t e straig tmember, a rege'atin fluenced a 'ary ever adapted to operatively engage said upper member, substan tially, as specified.

2. A repeating action for grand pianos, comprising a support, a lower Jack-member, an u per ack-member pivote to the lower mem er and having a tappet, a uggpeating lever, and a spring-influenced a 'iary lever adapted to engage said tappet, substantially as specified.

3. A repeating action for grand pianos,

comprising a support, a lower ack-member, an u per ja'ck-memberpivote to the lower mem er and having a tappet, a re ating lever, and a spring-influenced aux' 'ary lever having a shoulder adapted to engage said tappet, substantially as specified. 4. A repeating action for grand pianos,- comprising a support, a lower ack-member, an u per ack-member pivote to the lower mem er, a repeating lever, an auxlllary' lever adapted to operatlvely engage said upper member, and a spring intermediate the support and auxiliary lever, substantially as specified.

5. A repeating action for grand pianos, comprising a support, a lower ack-member, an u per ack-member pivote to the lower mem er, a repeating lever,- a spring-influenced auxiliary lever adapted to operatively engage said upper member, and an abutment for said aux' iary lever, substantially as specified.

6. A repeating action for grand pianos,

comprising a support, a lower ack-member,

an upper ack-member pivote to the lower mem er, a repeating lever, and a slotted s rin -influenced auxiliary lever that strades t e upper jack-member and operatively engages the same, substantially as specified.

7. A repeating action for grand pianos, comprising a support, a lower 'ack-member, an upper ack-member pivote to the lower mem er, a :gpeating lever, and a spring-infiuenced au 'ary lever pivoted to the support, said auxiliary lever being adapted to operatively' engage the upper jack-member, substantially as specified.

lever, and a spring-' 4 8. A repeating action forgrand pianos, compris' a su ort, a lower jack-member having a orwar y projecting'itocfan'nppzr jack-member pivoted to the lower me'm r and havin arearwardl projoc'tirigtappet, a repeating ever pivote to the upper jackmember, a regulating button adapted-tube engaged by the toe, and a spring-influenced auxihary lever adapted to engage" the tappet, substantially as specified.

9. A repeating action for grand pianos, comprisin a sup ort, a lower jack-member having a orwardy projecting toe, an up er jack-member pivoted to the lower mem er and havin a rearwardly projecting tappet, a repeating ever pivoted to the upper jackmember, a regulating button adapted to be engaged by thetoe, a spring-infiuenced auxiliary lever adapted to en age the tappet, and an adjusting screw a apted to be engaged by the auxiliary lever, substantially as specified.

10. A repeating action for grand pianos, comprisin a sugport, a lower jack-member having a orwar jack-member pivoted to the lower mem er and having a rearwardl projecting tappet, a repeating ever pivote to the upper jackmember, a regulating button adapted to be engaged by the toe, a spring-influenced auxiliary lever adapted to engage the tappet and having an upwardly bent orward end, and an ad ustin screw adapted to be engaged by said end, su stantially as s ecified.

11. A repeatmg action or grand pianos,

comprising a support, a repeating lever, a

connecting jointed jack having a lower memher and an upper member, an escapement for the lower member, springfnfiuenced means for tilting the upper mem er, and means for withdrawing said tilting means from engagement w1th said upper member, substantially as s ecified.

Signed y me at New York city, (Manhattan,) N; Y., this 27th day of Jul 1908.

- ADAM ICKEL.

Witnesses:

PHILIP MENGES, CHAS. MUHLENFELS.

y projecting toe, an up er 

